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“It all looks delicious,” I murmur with a smile.
“It is. Enzo is one of the best chefs in the city, hands down. He is old school and specializes in authentic Italian dishes. My father brought him to New York over two decades ago to run this restaurant.” He says; his voice is passionate as he speaks highly of the man that created this yummy-looking food.
Nodding, because there is really nothing I can respond with, I fork up what looks to be a risotto ball wanting to know if it is as good as Nico just said. Slowly moving it towards my mouth, Nico’s gaze doesn’t leave mine. My cheeks heat when hunger – not for the food – sparks in his blue orbs. Biting down on the mixture of rice, mozzarella, sundried tomato, breadcrumbs, and spices, my eyes close in ecstasy when the flavors burst on my tongue. I swallow it down, my eyes snapping open, landing on Nico. His head is cocked, and I almost hear the silent question he wants to ask, so I give him an answer.
“Oh my God. Wow. That is amazing.” I tell him honestly, pointing at the other half of the risotto ball left on my plate.
His lips twitch in amusement. He clears his throat. “Watching you eat is the single most erotic thing I have ever seen in my life. I can only be thankful I chose to dine in private, because had another man watched you with that risotto ball in your mouth, I would have had to kill them.”
I choke on a laugh only to stop when I realize he is being serious. I shake my head. “Nico–”
I am cut off when he pins me with a dark, devilish look. Reaching across the table he takes my hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing me. My stomach clenches, moisture seeping between my panty-less thighs. Nico was right. At this rate therewill be a big wet patch on my beautiful dress. “I mean it, Ocean. You are mine and any man who dares to look at you, I will remove his eyeballs. You are mine to desire. Mine to look at. Mine to fuck.Mine.” The noise that rumbles from his chest is primal.
I stare at him, my lips parted in lust or shock, I’m not sure. “You’re crazy. You can’t go around killing people or removing their eyes. You will end up in a penitentiary.”
He chuckles, dropping my hand and leaning back in his chair. “Oh, my sweet, innocentTesoro. You have a lot to learn about me and what I can and can’t do.” His words are dark and cryptic. I search his face for what they could mean, but coming up empty, I decide not to ask more. Because quite frankly, I don’t want to delve into anything right now that could interrupt me eating what I can only describe as the best meal I have had in a long time. Ignoring him, I fork up some noodles, popping them in my mouth, groaning as the flavors burst in my mouth and enjoying every single morsel of it. We eat in silence for a time before Nico speaks.
“You will be moving into a new apartment,” he states coolly.
My noodle-covered fork freezes midair, hovering mere centimeters from my mouth. I cough, blink, and stare at him in disbelief, but his face doesn’t change. He says all this as if it’s a given, a done deal. What the hell?
Dropping the utensil onto my plate, I wipe my mouth with a napkin, giving myself a couple of seconds to find some calm before speaking. “Excuse me?” I ask evenly, though anxiety slithers over my skin.
His eyes spark with challenge, and in that moment I know I am going to have a fight on my hands. “You. Will. Be. Moving. Into. One. Of. The. Apartments. I. Own,” he says slowly, as if his words are law. “I own a lot of real estate around the city and have condos in several different buildings. They are safe. You will besafe.” He enunciates the last word. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I know I should be asking him what exactly he means byyou will be safe,but first, I need to take care of the other situation.
I shake my head, imploring him with my eyes to listen. “No. I can’t afford that. I like the hostel. I will stay there.”
Before I even know what’s happening, I am out of my seat and in his lap. A gasp leaves my lips as he gets right up in my face. “No. It is non-negotiable. It is close to the spa and a secure building. I want you somewhere I can keep you protected. And you don’t have to afford it. You will live there for free. I don’t want your money,Tesoro. I just want to know where you are and that you are looked after.”
Anger explodes inside me. “Like some cheap whore? I don’t want your money, Nico,” I spit.
That blank mask locks into place, anger shining from his blue eyes. His jaw clenches. “You are not a fucking whore. You are mine. Mine to take care of. I can only do that properly if you are living somewhere secure. That hostel you call a home isnotsafe and quite frankly should have been condemned years ago.” His voice is low, almost threatening.
I stiffen, swallowing, and though I don’t want to argue, I suddenly feel protective over my little hostel. Yes, the building is not in great condition, and neither is it in a good area, but it’s been my little sanctuary, somewhere I could lay my head down at night without worrying about being violated or robbed. But Nico doesn’t see it that way. All he sees is a dilapidated building that I share with a bunch of other women. I chew my bottom lip. I mean, it would be nice to have my own space…
I sigh, shaking my head and knowing that I should say no to his offer. Should listen to the voice in my head screamingred flag, red flag, red flag.Unfortunately, red has always been my favorite color and the thought of having my own apartment isvery tempting. I glance up at him, my voice a whisper when I speak. “I will think about it.”
His eyes narrow, his face turns hard, ruthless. It equal parts turns me on and scares me. “There is nothing to think about. It is happening. I can have my men move your stuff tomorrow and get you all settled in before the weekend.”
I open my mouth to argue more, but Beppe enters cutting me off. “Have you finished?”
“No. Leave the food but bring out dessert. Tiramisu,” Nico grunts, his eyes never leaving mine.
His earlier words hit mewith the mention of dessert. Heat builds between my legs, my stomach tightening with need.“And when we are done and Beppe brings out dessert, I am going to lay you out on the table, shove up your dress and eat my dessert – if you haven’t guessed already, that will be your cunt - as you eat your tiramisu. You will watch me as I watch you.”
By the smirk now curving his lips, Nico knows exactly what I am thinking about. Leaning in, his tongue darts out and he licks a trail up my neck. My eyes dart to Beppe, who hurriedly clears our plates without even a glance in our direction and makes a quick exit.
“I bet you are thinking about my mouth on your cunt as you spoon tiramisu into your own.” He rasps, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Nico,” I gasp, my pussy throbbing in anticipation. I want that. Now.
He grins, lifting and sitting me on the table in front of him. Running his hands up my legs he groans. “I can smell your greedy pussy from here. So needy for me. Begging me to give it what only I can.”
I moan, pure lust coursing through me with every second that passes. Beppe rushes back into the room, dish in hand and snapping me from my desire-filled haze. Shifting, I try toscramble off the table but it’s no use. Nico holds me in place, his strong hands pinning me down and not letting me move. Beppe, who never once makes eye contact, places down the small plates. Though he keeps his gaze trained on the job at hand, I can tell by the way his cheeks turn pink, he knows something is going on. Heat floods my body, but this time in embarrassment, hating that someone is witness to this.
“Leave us.” Nico barks, making me jump and Beppe rush away.
“Nico,” I hiss but he ignores me.
